Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to N RATH. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

N, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

I went to school for interior design but after college I sought positions in niche sectors like focusing on kitchen and bath design (most expensive rooms in the house!), architectural lighting and home automation (biophilia!)

Throughout this time, I was studying Eastern as well as Western Feng Shui and holistic living in general.
Feng Shui works with the flow of energy in the home and we are ALL impacted by our environments: positively or negatively. The subconscious is privy.

Energetic Design is a term I use without diminishing the power of Feng Shui, because when Feng Shui stands alone as a practice, it classically does not incorporate Interior Design.

Think of Feng Shui as a garden and a seed; we want to plant our seeds in soil that have proper proportions of sun, water, and fertilizer. *We do not blame the plant for not growing, we assess if it is set up for success instead’

In my practice, I tie all of this into the aesthetic for optimal living.
Whether the client tangibly understands the logic behind the moves, their lived experience and overall wellbeing is positively affected.

N, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I went to school for interior design but after college I sought positions in niche sectors like focusing on kitchen and bath design (most expensive rooms in the house!), architectural lighting and home automation (biophilia!)

Throughout this time, I was studying Eastern as well as Western Feng Shui and holistic living in general.
Feng Shui works with the flow of energy in the home and we are ALL impacted by our environments: positively or negatively. The subconscious is privy.

Energetic Design is a term I use without diminishing the power of Feng Shui, because when Feng Shui stands alone as a practice, it classically does not incorporate Interior Design.

Think of Feng Shui as a garden and a seed; we want to plant our seeds in soil that have proper proportions of sun, water, and fertilizer. *We do not blame the plant for not growing, we assess if it is set up for success instead’

In my practice, I tie all of this into the aesthetic for optimal living.
Whether the client tangibly understands the logic behind the moves, their lived experience and overall wellbeing is positively affected.

There are no other Feng Shui practitioners in my area and my goal is to be known and sought in my community after and to be effective and of service locally.

Have you ever had to pivot?

This is more of a personal story and less business related: In 2020, I begin taking serious steps to move abroad and go for my masters in Interior Architecture in Belgium.
I felt I had hit a stagnant point in my career and salary that at the time, I thought would be remedied by higher education.
I still believe in the power of knowledge and certainly the adventure living abroad would bring.
Instead I met my partner and now fiancé.
At the time, I was in a seriously introverted and studious phase of life and had been renting a studio apartment downtown in a rather old, maybe not necessary quite historic building, but at least the neighborhood was!
All I did was read and work and work out.

My office was across the street from where he works and I would ride my bike to get coffee at the plaza he is in.
He would see me through the window and would run out and make any excuse to talk to me!
I’ll keep it short but after almost a year of trying to make a connection, we got together; It was September.
By this time, my semester start was March and he wasn’t going to let me go alone, so we bought him tickets to share this next adventure with me. It felt right.
It also felt right when, we pivoted and got a house together and now a little more than two years later, we are engaged and planning a wedding in our new house.

My biggest lesson is that It’s not always about creating opportunities and efforting change but to also be ready to walk through doors of opportunity when they open to you.
I think graduate studies was a bandaid for a problem I did not necessarily have.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

While forging my experience in the interior design/build industry, I was studying Eastern as well as Western Feng Shui and holistic living in general as well as teaching ashtanga yoga and wasn’t sure how I’d sew all my interests together.

Interior Design and Feng Shui do overlap but truly only about 30%.
Think of Feng Shui as a garden and a seed; we want to plant our seeds in soil that have proper proportions of sun, water, and fertilizer. *We do not blame the plant for not growing, we assess if it is set up for success instead’

I orient myself towards how the built environment supports the wellbeing of its occupants. Feng Shui is certainly an offering but it is not the totality of my toolbox.

It has certainly taken time for me to hone my offerings and services.
I am very picky about my interiors and the feel of a space, however I am not necessarily inspired to buy sofas for clients and this has been a huge cue to me that leads me to NOT offer decorating services. It’s not my passion or interest.

Contact Info:

• Website: the
• Instagram: @thehouseofmelonbiophilia & @thehouseofmelon.biophilia
• Other:

Image Credits

To my clients included here, thank you for providing proudly these finished and unfinished interior photos